DAMASCUS, Syria — Palestinian groups agreed to join forces with the Syrian government to expel Islamic State militants from an embattled Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, opening the door to a potentially destructive military campaign in a district already devastated by many rounds of fighting.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Palestinian groups agreed to join forces with the Syrian government to expel Islamic State militants from an embattled Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, opening the door to a potentially destructive military campaign in a district already devastated by many rounds of fighting.
But the head of the U.N. cautioned that a military assault on the Yarmouk camp would be “yet one more outrageous war crime for which those responsible must be held accountable.”
Islamic State extremists overran much of Yarmouk last week, establishing a foothold in the Syrian capital for the first time. The incursion is the latest trial for Yarmouk’s estimated 18,000 remaining residents, who have already suffered through a devastating, two-year government siege, starvation and disease.
Reporters on a government-escorted visit Thursday to Yarmouk saw blown-out buildings at the camp’s northern entrance that were nothing but empty shells. In its dusty and deserted streets, a few sheep foraged in the rubble. Building facades were charred by fire and walls were pockmarked by bullets.
“There has been an agreement with the Syrian side to expel IS from Yarmouk as part of a joint Syrian-Palestinian effort,” said Ahmad Majdalani, a Palestinian Authority envoy who was sent to Damascus this week.
“We will establish a joint military operation between the Syrian army and Palestinian factions, and this (operations) room will lead the military campaign to oust IS. The campaign will start soon.”
His comments echoed those of a Syrian government official who said Wednesday that pushing back the IS extremists from the camp by force was a “top priority” and the only option. That also suggested that a wide-scale military operation was imminent.
The latest fighting in Yarmouk has worsened an already desperate situation for civilians trapped in the besieged camp. Residents say there is barely enough food and water, and hospitals have long run out of drugs and supplies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross joined a growing number of groups calling for immediate access for humanitarian aid to Yarmouk.